Birthing Ground

Daily yoga posture

Pregnancy is a time of incredible structural change as we prepare the way to birth our babes. If you are in the first or second trimester you may be noticing that your lower back over your sacrum, the triangular bone at the base of your spine, is starting to ache already and cause some notice down into your buttocks. As our friendly hormone Relaxin enters the body more and more, our joints become softer and slightly mobile. This is mother nature preparing our body’s to open and birth, however it can also come with uncomfortable and even painful side effects. Especially if we are not engaging in healthy daily exercise and sitting in cars and office chairs. There is a natural lordosis of the lower back that occurs in pregnancy with the weight of the baby pulling us forward, practicing the following posture brings awareness to your posture and engaging core stabilisers to prevent instability later on down the track when you become more heavily pregnant. We encourage that you also practice using or finding your pelvic floor muscles at the same time. This posture may be practiced at any time during pregnancy. However, if you are 35 weeks and beyond it is important to practice the opposite of engaging your pelvic floor muscles to prepare for birth. By pass the lifting and squeezing of the pelvic floor, instead focus on releasing and bulge down as if you are pushing out a poo – or you BABY J If at any time you feel too much pressure by laying on your back in this posture, follow these instructions but stand against a wall instead of laying on the ground. The same results are achieved. Please note we do not recommend labouring AT ALL on your back, this posture is purely for achieving stabilisation of your pelvis, strength and awareness. Laying down (or against the wall) feel your sacrum on the ground and your feet flat. Engage your lower belly muscles and aim to tuck the pelvis slightly under. Try not to engage the buttocks, keep them relaxed and just use your core/ lower belly muscles. Then release to neutral. Take a breath in in a neutral position. Exhale and engage, tuck your pelvis under and hold for 3-5 seconds. Inhale release. Repeat for rounds of 5 at a time.Remember, no cracking walnuts in between those butt cheeks. Keep your bottom relaxed. This is also good practice for labour! Next level - Repeat and do exactly the same technique but with the knees pulled into the arm pits (laying down squat or squat against the wall). Always maintain lower back contact with the mat/ wall. To advance the posture, practice engaging and releasing mula bundah, your pelvic floor. So as you exhale to engage your lower belly, squeeze your knees into your arm pits (maintain lower back contact with the mat/wall) and also lift through the vagina and urinary muscles like you need to do a wee and hold. On the exhale release everything to a neutral position. Repeat. Follow this posture by laying on your side and then relax in child’s pose before slowly coming to normal movement. Preferably doing some convoluted movements on all fours, rolling hips and shoulders and then stepping up one foot at a time.